Home is Where the Heart is
by ClaraG
Summary: Picks up twenty-five years after 'The Good Book', featuring old favourites and some new characters.
1. Chapter 1

Tom Callaghan woke with the morning sun and turned his head to really look at his wife, still asleep beside him. When busy at work during the day Chris's energy and caring masked what he could so clearly see when she slept. Her face on the pillow was thin and lined; he could see her exhaustion even after eight hours sleep. Tom wasn't quite sure when Chris had changed - in his eyes she had remained the young woman he had fallen in love with. Then after a particularly difficult day, when they had failed to save two children injured in the suicide bombing of a market, he had caught her as she fainted. For the first time in what felt like forever he had really looked at his wife, noticing how her hair was completely grey and that her skin was pale and almost translucent. The lines in her face told of the trials of their lives, and for the first time in many years he began to wonder if he had been selfish in asking her to join him in this lifestyle all those years ago. Maybe it was time to return home.

For years they had been a driven team, going wherever medical help was needed, starting with Africa. The two of them had joined Medicins Sans Frontieres and had taken the opportunity to move onto India, a rather safer spot, when they had discovered a few months later that Chris was pregnant. At the same time they had taken the opportunity to get married, and they had stayed in India for the first eleven years of Rosie's life, improving local health via vaccinations and education programs. They had been wonderful years, Tom reflected. They had combined their valuable work at the clinic with bringing up Rosie, educating her themselves. When Rosie reached secondary age they reluctantly agreed that she needed a more traditional education, so she was sent back to Australia, living in Perth during term time with Chris's former foster daughter, Zoe.

Initially the arrangement had seemed to work well. Zoe was delighted to be able to give Rosie the care that Chris had given to her as a grieving teen, and her two young children greeted Rosie as the big sister they didn't have. Rosie enjoyed her new school and they alternated between Rosie flying to them and them flying to join Rosie in the holidays. Tom was able to persuade Chris that it was time to work in places with even greater needs, which over the years had included Bolivia, Ethiopia, Cambodia and now Syria. But as Tom became evermore involved and committed to his work, their tight-knit little family had started to show the strain. Rosie felt distant from her parents' lives in a way that had never been the case when they worked in India, and Zoe started to find the teenage rebellion harder to cope with. When she was sixteen things came to a head, and Chris had told Tom that she was going back to Australia to support Rosie through the last two years of school. In truth Chris had been torn for years between her husband and her daughter, and she didn't want to lose these last precious years before Rosie was out in the world.

Tom squirmed now to recall his foul moods and temper at what he had thought of as Chris's desertion. It had led to three-way blazing rows during Rosie's summer holidays, capped by tearful goodbyes from both his wife and his daughter and limited, stilted communications between husband and wife over the next eighteen months. Rosie however had settled down and flourished under her mother's eye, and Chris had congratulated herself on her decision, whilst wondering how she could heal the breach with Tom. That particular decision was taken out of her hands when Tom, currently in Cambodia, was bitten by a snake two days before Rosie's final exams started. Chris had flown out at once to be with him, but he was unconscious for two weeks. Meanwhile Rosie, feeling abandoned, had convinced herself that she had failed her exams, and that all hopes of medical school were gone. She spoke to Zoe, promising to keep in touch and left a letter for her parents, asking them not to look for her. Then she packed her bags and left. Neither Tom nor Chris had heard from her directly once in the last six years.

Since Rosie was eighteen, officially an adult, and there was no indication that she was in any danger, the police could do nothing to help. Intermittently she had kept in touch with Zoe, so Tom and Chris knew she was well, but they still had no idea where she was, and they couldn't ask Zoe to break Rosie's confidence for fear of losing all connection to her. Looking at his wife now, Tom could see how the last six years had eaten away at her, but there was something else too. He started to think clinically, methodically cataloguing her symptoms. Her pale skin, weight loss, tiredness and regular breathlessness made for a worrying picture, but he was sure that Chris would brush off his concerns. Right on cue she opened her eyes and saw him looking at her. Her smile at least was unchanged and he bent his head to kiss her good morning before they got up to face whatever today would bring.

That evening though Tom and Chris sat down to talk, and when Tom proposed going back to Australia Chris agreed, much to his surprise. Over the next two weeks they tied up loose ends, preparing to say goodbye to the last twenty-five years of their life. Although it was hard to make the break, at sixty and sixty-three respectively Chris and Tom both knew instinctively that the time was about right for them to move onto a slower stage of their lives, even if Tom at least was aware that it was concerns for Chris's health that were driving him home. Chris's still somewhat semi-formed hopes were that maybe back in Australia in these days of social media she might be able to find a trace of her daughter.

OoOoO

At eight o'clock on a Monday evening the phone rang just as Kate and Geoff Standish were sitting down after. As Geoff began a rant about people who couldn't give a doctor a break even when he was off duty, Kate just rolled her eyes at him, as she had done so many times over the years, and answered the phone. Geoff was shocked out of his usual monologue by Kate's excited squeal.

"Tom? Tom Callaghan! I can't believe it's you! It must be ...twenty years? Twenty-five then - I suppose you must have missed us if you've been counting." Kate flapped a hand at Geoff to get him to quiet down so that she could focus on what Tom had to say. "That would be amazing Tom, but come and stay with us, don't bother with the hotel, you wouldn't know the people there now anyway, lovely as they are...Yes Vic and Nancy are gone now I'm afraid...Yes we're still in the same place of course, you know not a lot changes around here...Well we're still working but I'm matron at the hospital and Geoff is also just hospital based now. Flying's a younger persons game!...Mustn't grumble, but not as young as we used to be - how about you?...We can't wait to see you! Wednesday it is then. Bye."

Turning to Geoff as she put the receiver down, Kate announced unnecessarily "You won't believe it, but that was Tom Callaghan. Coming to stay on Wednesday, after flying into Sydney from Syria tomorrow."

"Syria eh? So has Tom been working abroad all these years? He'll find things a bit changed round here, but it'll be great to see him." So Tom had stuck to his principles all these years.

"See them you mean." Geoff looked at his wife, his eyebrows raised in a question. Kate's smile was practically splitting her face in two. "Tom and Chris are coming to stay. They've been married for years apparently, and we'll see them both in two days time. Oh Geoff, I can't believe it, it's going to be so good to see them again." Geoff smiled back at her, delighted at the thought of seeing their old friends after such a long time and just as thrilled to see his wife so animated. The last few years had been hard for Kate since their youngest, Jonathan, had gone to study engineering at Brisbane University. With Scarlett working as a journalist in Canberra and Olivia completing her medical training in Sydney their lives were much quieter than they had been for years.

Kate had taken their new young RFDS sister, Zanna, under her wing, but it was a poor substitute for their own children. At least her efforts with Zanna would not be wasted though, she was unlikely to be moving on given that she was married to Dave Buckley, a great-nephew of Vic who had arrived to run the pub after Vic passed away. Initially Zanna had just helped her husband run the pub, but then she had owned up to being a trained nurse and offered to help when they were short handed at the hospital, and had stayed on ever since.

"How many people will they know do you think?" Geoff queried. "It's been so long. So many of the old faces are gone - and though we're still working we're both based at the hospital now, no more emergency flights for us. Tom and Chris will really notice some changes."

"Well the people out on the stations are the same - things have just moved on a generation in most cases. But I can't see it bothering Chris or Tom if they don't know everyone, they must have coped with meeting new people all the time while they were travelling the world. And they must have known a fair few of the young adults as babies - delivered them in many cases! And Jack Carruthers and George Baxter are propping up the bar in the pub most days discussing the 'Good Old Days' - they'll soon fill people in on who our visitors are." Kate came to sit down next to her husband. "Well I for one can't wait for them to arrive - do you realise we last saw them when Scarlett was a baby? They don't even know about Olivia and Jonathan! There's going to be so much to catch up on."

"I wonder if it will make us all feel young again, meeting up, or if it'll make us all feel old." Geoff mused.

Kate laughed at him. "Well I daresay there will be far too much to catch up on to feel old or young when we first meet up - though we may all be feeling our age the next morning if we try drinking the way we used to! I don't think any of us can cope with that in the same way any more." Geoff meekly accepted the barbed comment, and resolved that if he and Tom were going to share a pint or two as they used to in the old days, it had better be when their wives were otherwise occupied.


	2. Chapter 2

Wednesday afternoon saw Kate pacing around the house, obsessively checking that everything was ready. Geoff wisely kept out of the way 'seeing to some papers' in the study, but he emerged at breakneck speed when a car was heard outside, in time to see Kate throwing open the front door. They hurtled down the path together to meet their old friends.

Greetings exchanged, Tom and Geoff glanced at each other and then collected up the luggage and took it indoors while Chris and Kate were still wiping away a few emotional tears. By the time Geoff had put the kettle on and made drinks their wives had joined them. Six hours flew by, punctuated by drinks and dinner, whilst they swapped tales of their lives over the last twenty-five years. Kate told them proudly about what Scarlet, Olivia and Jonathan and their varying talents, Chris responded by telling them the traumas of losing contact with Rosie. Kate could have cut her tongue out when she realised that she had been bemoaning how far away her children lived now - at least she saw them from time to time, and they were all in weekly contact. She couldn't imagine what it must be like for Chris and Tom, to not even know where their daughter was. In the time between Tom's call and their friends arriving, Kate had been bemoaning to Geoff how boring their lives had been over the last several years in comparison. Now, catching Geoff's eye across the room, she knew they were both agreed that their duller lives had also given them huge benefits not accorded to their more adventurous friends.

Both Chris and Tom had plainly led fulfilling work lives, and as a couple they seemed totally in tune with each other, but there was an underlying sadness and longing in them both, which Kate knew was down to the loss of contact with their daughter. She had also noted with concern how thin and tired Chris was looking, but obviously this wasn't the moment to bring that up. She could also tell from Geoff's quizzical look and Tom's protectiveness towards his wife that she was not the only person to spot something amiss, which worried her all the more. Matters were brought to a head though just before ten o'clock, when Chris stood up and admitted defeat.

"I'm really sorry everyone, but I'm exhausted, and I'm going to turn in." Chris stood up and went to hug her hosts. "I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be here with you two again after all these years." Then as if to prove that her spiky self was still intact under the external picture of an aging woman, she added, "You stay Tom, I'm sure you're desperate to discuss my general health anyway."

Tom took the pointed comment quite calmly though. "Ok darling, I'll try not to disturb you when I come in." As the door closed behind Chris he turned to their friends with a rueful smile. "She can still be as direct as ever when she wants to be - to be honest it's quite a relief when she is, makes me feel that she may be alright after all. But, given that she's just given us permission to discuss her, how do you two think she is looking? I've been getting more and more worried over the last couple of months - it was the main reason why I suggested retiring back to Australia."

"What are her symptoms?" asked Geoff, "Obviously I can see she's looking tired and rundown, but for all I know that could be down to the travel. But she obviously thinks something's up to from what she said."

"It's all crept up on us pretty gradually I think, she's pale, has lost weight, she's tires easily and gets breathless. I really started to notice last month - we'd had a horrendous day, two kids on the operating table caught up in a suicide bombing and we couldn't save either of them. We got back to our quarters and Chris suddenly just fainted - I only just managed to catch her. Then I found myself looking at her properly; what she actually looks like, not what I see in my minds' eye when I think of her; and she was looking so much older, so ill and tired. That was when I knew we had to come back. I'm obviously praying it's nothing serious, but my heart's screaming 'leukaemia' in a panic even while my head's saying 'anaemia'. But whatever the matter is, for the sake of her health she needs to be back in Australia. Whereabouts we end up will probably depend on what the matter is I guess; I think if it's nothing serious Chris would be thrilled to be back home in Coopers Crossing. Unless we hear any news on Rosie of course, when we would want to be somewhere near her, wherever that may be. But if she's seriously ill, then we're talking Sydney."

"When will she let me have a look at her?" asked Geoff, "Tomorrow? If there is something seriously wrong, then obviously the sooner we deal with it the better. You don't think she'll agree to tomorrow?" For both Tom and Kate were sitting there shaking their heads at him.

Kate answered, "Not tomorrow - Friday at the earliest. Look at all the planning we were doing tonight about what to do tomorrow - Chris wants to revisit all the old haunts and look up old friends. Now hopefully there's nothing wrong, but if there is she won't want to be whipped into hospital before she's had a few hours to enjoy being home. Plus a day or so of no travel, good food and a comfy bed may do her all the good in the world - you doctors always under-estimate the power of good old-fashioned care in favour of over medicalising things."

"Yes Matron." Tom saluted her, she threw a cushion at him, and the evening dissolved into laughter and reminiscences, until they too headed to their beds, blaming the trying day and the fact that they were not as young as they used to be.

OoOoO

The next day all four of them made a lazy start, heading into town after a relaxed and sociable breakfast. First they visited the old haunts, starting with the RFDS base, looking very little changed with the exception of all the computers. Then they visited the hospital and the shops, finishing with the garage - run by Libby, one of Emma and Sam Patterson's daughters no less. After that they split off into pairs to do what interested each of them - looking round the hospital in far greater detail for Geoff and Tom, while Kate and Chris did their best to catch up on more than twenty years' worth of gossip in a couple of hours at the new (well new to Chris anyway) cafe. Lots more confidences about their families were exchanged, Kate admitting that while she was incredibly proud of their high-flying children, she would have loved it if one of them had wanted to stay closer to home. Chris revealed how close she and Tom had come to splitting up in the when Rosie was struggling in High School, and tentatively talking to Kate about the possible search for Rosie via social media. Kate filled her friend in on who was who in the town, and teased her about her one-time would-be beau now propping up the bar in the pub most of the time. Chris, not to be out done, naturally pointed out that she had never actually gone out with Jack, however Kate and George...The time dissolved into laughter and teasing, as it had back in the days when they were housemates. And throughout both women marvelled at how little they had changed inwardly, despite the outward grey hair and wrinkles.

When Tom and Geoff were finished at the hospital they all went on to the pub for a drink, where they were welcomed warmly by Jack and George as well as Dave Buckley, Vic's great-nephew. Kate made the introductions, explaining that not only was Dave a Buckley, but that his wife Zanna was also a sister with the RFDS. Dave shook both their hands.

"Well I guess the first drink should be on the house as a welcome home, I know that Uncle Vic wouldn't have had it any other way. I must say you both seem really familiar somehow - I guess you must be in some old photographs I've seen around. I hope the pub lives up to your memories of it."

"It's amazing to be back," answered Tom, "The number of bad days that started to improve after a pint in here..."

"Do you remember how fast Gibbo always got through his?" added Chris. "And back when Sharon worked behind the bar, do you remember how overprotective Vic was of her?"

"Not forgetting the good days that ended with a pint." Geoff interjected "Or the days when you came in to find the girl you loved drinking with some one else..."

Kate naturally took on that one, "What about the days when the man you love would tell you how beautiful you were, because he had four pints inside him. The next day of course he wouldn't remember a thing!"

Chris took a sip of her drink. "So many memories; weddings, funerals, leaving do's, welcome home's. Vic and Nancy always made sure this pub was the heart of the town. And from what we hear it still is."

Tom raised his glass. "To Vic and Nancy, and their successors Dave and Zanna. Thank you for the welcome home, it's so good to be here. And it's as good a welcome as it ever was." They all raised their glasses to toast both the past and the present.


	3. Chapter 3

Zanna Buckley got back home to the pub shortly before it closed following an emergency call to Woolongara station. She greeted Dave and the remaining regulars, and sat down with a drink while they talked about 'the old docs' who had been in earlier, reminiscing about old times. She was only listening with half an ear when she was suddenly wide awake upon hearing some familiar names.

"Look Jack," George Baxter waved a hand imperiously, "I know that you always had a thing for Chris, but you can't exactly say she's aged well. Don't get me wrong, it was great to see them both again, and Tom has hardly changed at all, but I hardly recognised Chris at first."

"I don't have 'a thing' for Chris," Jack answered snappily, "And anyway, it wouldn't do me much good if I did seeing as they said it'll be their silver wedding in a few months time! She wasn't looking too good though, I'll grant you that, I wonder if that is why they are back in Coopers Crossing? Stands to reason that Tom would trust Geoff to look after her if she's ill more than some young chap he doesn't know from Adam."

"Who was this who was in earlier?" Zanna queried. Despite the fact that her heart was beating nineteen to the dozen, she managed to make the enquiry just sound calm and vaguely interested, she was pleased to note.

"Two doctors who used to be based here with the RFDS - Tom Callaghan and Chris Randall," answered Jack. "Well I should say Chris Callaghan now I suppose! Great doctors the pair of them, they've been working all over the world for Medicins Sans Frontieres, but now they're retiring, and are staying with Kate and Geoff for a few days - they were always good friends back in the old days. They're still good people, sure you'd like them Zanna. Maybe they'll even retire back to the Crossing."

"Excellent doctors, lets hope they stick around," agreed George, draining his glass. "Well you're sure to get to meet them soon in a town this size. Night all, see you tomorrow."

"Yes, night all," echoed Jack, and once they had made their way out Dave bolted the door behind them, before turning to look at his wife. He could see something was not right, but wasn't sure what it was.

"What is it, Zanna?"

She looked up at him and took a shuddering breath before she started, "There's going to be a lot of drama around here in the next few days - and we're going to be right in the middle of it I'm afraid." She paused to gather her thoughts, "You see, the two doctors they were talking about earlier, they are my parents. I know I haven't told you much about my family, but you do know it's been six years since I've seen or heard directly from them. I guess now is the time we need to have that conversation, because I really need your advice on what to do now."

Dave went and poured them both a glass of wine and brought them over to a table. He knew that his wife had left home at eighteen and had no contact with her parents since, but he didn't know the ins and outs of it. He knew that Zanna had kept in contact with Zoe, who she had lived with while at school, but that she effectively had no other family. They had had a tiny wedding, witnesses pulled off the street, and had set off with the two of them against the world. The move to Coopers Crossing four months after their wedding had seen them start to put down some roots, this process had accelerated when Zanna started working for the RFDS. Now they were face to face with the past as well. He handed her a glass, sat down and looked at her expectantly.

Zanna took a sip of her wine and began the story. "Well some of it you've already heard. My parents met when they were both working for the RFDS - but I had no idea they were ever based in Coopers Crossing. My Dad left and went to Eritrea, but Mum stayed with the RFDS for years. Eventually Dad came back and asked her to go back to Africa with him, and she agreed. When they found out I was on the way, they moved to work in India in rather less dangerous surroundings and they got married. Till I was eleven we all lived in India, and it was a wonderful life - Mum and Dad taught me themselves rather than sending me to the local school, they worked in a clinic, educating people about health, giving vaccinations - they did so much good there, and we were all happy. Then when I was eleven I was sent back to Australia to go to school. I didn't mind at first - Zoe was lovely, and it was great to make friends of my own age at last. Sometimes I flew out to join them in the holidays; first in India, then later in Bolivia and Ethiopia, and sometimes they flew to Australia. But the longer I was away the harder it got and the more I missed them - their lives were going on, all exciting, and I wasn't a part of it any more."

She paused and took another sip of wine. Dave squeezed her hand, but didn't say anything, just gave her time to marshal her thoughts. "I was turning into a bit of a horrible teenager if I'm honest, and poor Zoe was tearing her hair out. So when I was sixteen Mum decided to come back to Australia and got work as a GP for my last two years of school. Dad was awful about it, accused her of abandoning the people who needed her most. But she said I needed her too.I only saw Dad once after that, the following summer, when I was seventeen. Then two days before my HSC started, Dad was bitten by a snake. Mum dropped everything and flew out to be with him - apparently he was in a coma. I was furious - I was convinced I had completely messed up my exams, so I left, as soon as I heard that Dad was going to be alright. It just felt like they had never put me first, and I'd had enough. I told Zoe what I was doing and left a letter with her for Mum and Dad. I said I would keep in touch with her so long as she promised not to tell them where I was. Then I went to Sydney, got a bar job and applied to train as a nurse. The rest you know, since I met you a few months later."

"Oh darling." Dave squeezed his wife's hand again, and phrased his first question carefully. "If you were hearing this story now, from the outside, what would you think of what happened. I mean, obviously what is done is done, but you're not eighteen any more - it just sounds a bit odd to say in one breath that your mum gave up her job to be with you, not your dad, for two years, and then to say in the next breath that they never put you first. Your mum obviously did at least some of the time."

"I know, I've been wrestling with that for quite some time." Zanna forced herself to total honesty. "To be truthful, I've known for some time that part of it was just being a hormonal teen, but I didn't know what to do, or how to fix the problems I've created. Then to hear Jack and George saying they think Mum might be ill - they're not exactly the most observant pair, so just how poorly is she? Oh Dave, I've made a complete mess of things and I don't know how to sort them out, and I'm so scared that Mum might be really ill when I've wasted all these years. Part of me wants to rush over and see her right now just in case she is ill - but don't think Kate and Geoff would appreciate that. Plus, I don't know how I feel about seeing Dad. Mum must have forgiven him since they're still together, but I don't know if I can."

Dave stood up, pulling Zanna up too so that he could put his arms round her. "We don't know that there's anything wrong with your mum yet," he reminded her. "Jack and George are certainly not medically trained! And now your parents are here in Coopers Crossing you've got a chance to put things right. I'm surprised they didn't say anything really - Kate mentioned you when she introduced us, and Zanna isn't exactly a common name."

"They don't know me as Zanna Buckley though - I started using Zanna when I left home. You know it's short for Rosanna anyway - well they know me as Rosanna or Rosie Callaghan. So I would be very surprised if they were expecting me."

"Well, in that case I suggest that we sleep on this, and then you keep a low profile until you know how you want to handle it. But if you want my advice, you tell your parents what you told me, about being a stroppy teen and not knowing how to fix things. I liked what I saw of them tonight - you know the barman's instinct is never wrong! Plus it sounds like parts of your childhood were wonderful, so your parents must have quite a bit going for them and I'd be very surprised if they weren't desperate to see you and know that you're safe and well. Come on, let's go to bed."

They made their way upstairs in silence, trying to get their heads around the drama unfolding around them.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you so much for the reviews, they're really encouraging. There are still another three or so chapters to go after this._

After a restless night, Zanna was up early the next morning, leaving Dave asleep. Overnight her thoughts had continued down the same track of panic about her mother, leaving her determined that she must see her parents today. But she was also terrified about how they would react - her father especially. No longer the impulsive teenager she had been, she had finally admitted to herself that her mother had in fact put her first - until the point at which her father's life was in danger. Her father had always put his principles first, but there again he was now in Australia with her mother. Why? It couldn't be looking for her, they would have spoken to Zoe, who would have let her know - she knew that they had looked for her and questioned Zoe when she first ran away - as a result she had never let Zoe have her address, instead keeping in touch by phone and email. So was her mother definitely sick? Zanna was fairly sure that however strong her father's principles were, he would always give his families' health priority over everything else, both Mum's and her's. She paused in the unstacking of the dishwasher as this thought took hold. He did care, how could she have forgotten over the years? She stared out of the window, not seeing the backyard of the pub, but the clinic in India where she'd grown up. She remembered her father tossing her up in the air, cleaning her scraped knees, helping her to climb trees to scrape her knees in the first place! So many happy memories of fun with Dad; how could she have forgotten. And Mum, teaching her, playing with her, coming to her rescue when teenage life got too much. Zanna remembered how she had missed them during the school term, how she had loved rejoining them in the holidays. She also finally admitted to herself how much she had missed them over the last six years. Tears started to roll down her cheeks, and immediately she was a little girl again, who needed her parents to make everything better. Well for the first time in years they were close enough that she could have them. Zanna flew out of the pub, the door banging behind her, heading straight for the Standish's house without further thought.

Ten minutes later she was knocking at the door, tears still streaming down her face. Kate opened the door, laughing over her shoulder as she did to a comment from the breakfast table. Her expression morphed straight to concern as she saw the state of her visitor. "Zanna! What's happened? Geoff!"

Geoff, ever the doctor, dived out to discover what the crisis was, Tom and Chris also rising instinctively to their feet. Chris just about had a view of the silhouette in the front doorway, Tom right behind her, but only she was close enough to hear the answer, "I heard Mum and Dad were staying with you."

Geoff was stuttering some sort of question, Kate was too stunned to move. Tom hadn't heard what was said, so at first it was just Chris who moved. "Rosie! Rosie darling, why the tears? Come here." Without either of them knowing how they got there, Chris was in the middle of the hallway, holding her daughter tightly in her arms as she sobbed. A split second later Tom was there too, holding both of his girls, tears running down his own face.

Geoff was still trying to formulate some sort of logical question, his mind not quite processing what was going on. Without further ado Kate pulled him out of the front door, leaving their friends to their own devices. "Let's head down to the pub," she suggested.

"Isn't it a bit early for a drink?" Geoff spluttered, still totally bemused at what this morning had thrown at him so far. "What's happening to the world!"

Once again Kate rolled her eyes at her intelligent husband's total inability to follow real life events. "We're going to talk to Dave," she explained to him. "He'll probably know more than we do - and if he doesn't, then we need to fill in his gaps." Seeing that Geoff was still looking thoroughly lost, she deigned to explain in more detail. "It appears that Zanna Buckley is also Rosie Callaghan, Chris and Tom's daughter, who they haven't seen for six years. Somewhere in the last two days she has heard they are staying with us, she'd obviously been building herself up to it so arrived on our doorstep a bit of a state this morning. And I pulled you out because they were all three clearly rather emotional and they need some time as a family." Geoff opened his mouth, then closed it again, Kate was glad to note. She spotted a figure hurrying towards them. "Dave!"

"Hi Kate, Geoff," he answered. "Have you seen Zanna?"

"Yes, and she's going to be fine, she's at ours with her parents, but I think they need a little time." Kate answered. "If we could grab some breakfast at the pub we can fill each other in on what we all know and then head back up to ours to see how things are going. I think after six years of separation an hour isn't much to ask for." In general agreement they went to find some breakfast.

OoOoO

Tom gently loosened his hold on his wife and daughter and pulled back slightly to look at the woman his little girl had turned into. She looked very like her mother in many ways, but taller, and in his eyes she was the most beautiful sight he'd seen, saving when he first saw her on the day she was born. He told her as much, which had the unexpected effect of making her laugh, "Dad, beautiful is not used to describe women with tears and snot streaming everywhere!" But it did have the effect of bringing them all down from the high emotional plane they had been on so far. They moved through to the living room and sat on the sofa, Rosie (she felt like Rosie again, in these circumstances) between her parents, each of them holding one of her hands. And for a few moments they were silent, visually catching up on the missing years, and letting their emotions calm a little.

Chris spoke first. "So how did you find out we were here? Do you live in the Crossing? And if so, how come after all the time we spent talking yesterday, Kate never mentioned there was a Rosie or Rosanna Callaghan around here?"

"Well firstly, I got married two years ago, before we moved to the crossing. And when I first ran away I deliberately used a different version of my name to make me harder to find, and it stuck. So everyone knows me as Zanna Buckley rather than Rosie Callaghan. I think it helped me put some mental distance between us as well, made it easier for me to cope with what I'd done, if I wasn't the same person. I'm so sorry for everything I put you through - I can see now I must have been a bit of a nightmare teen, and I'm so sorry." Tom opened his mouth to speak, but he was silenced by a glare from Chris, who could tell that Rosie (or should that be Zanna?) was on a roll. "Then last night when I got back to the pub, all those walls I'd built to defend myself came crashing down. Frank and Jack were talking about two old docs who were here for a visit, retiring from working with Medicins Sans Frontieres. They said the names Tom and Chris, and I knew it had to be you! I never knew Coopers Crossing was where you'd met. They said you were staying with Kate and Geoff, and part of me wanted to rush over straight away, but I didn't know how things would be, how cross you'd be, Dad. And they also said...they also said that Mum wasn't looking too good, and that Dad might have brought you here because he would trust Geoff to look after you. And I can see you're not looking yourself, Mum. Please tell me it's nothing serious?"

"I've got an appointment with Geoff later today darling; we know I'm anaemic, but we don't know if that is the cause of how I'm feeling or a symptom. I promise I'm not hiding anything, I just don't know. But if it helps, I'm feeling brighter today for a couple of nights' sleep in a comfy bed and some good food." She paused and stroked Rosie's face gently. "And I can't tell you quite how happy I am at this moment, not just knowing that you're well and happy, but being able to touch you and talk to you as well. I want to know all about what you've been up to - we met Dave last night, but obviously we didn't realise then that he was our son-in-law! How did you come to be a nurse, when I was last with you, you wanted to go to medical school? How did you and Dave meet? I want to know everything!"

Tom spoke up. "But there's one thing I don't want to hear you say, and that is 'sorry'. Being a teenager was not your fault, but the fact that I got so caught up in my crusade was mine. I used to have my priorities straight, when we found out you were on the way, and all the years in India we spent as a family. In those days you and your mum were always my priority. I think I have my priorities straight again now - pretty much as soon as I realised your mum wasn't looking good I started to think about returning to Australia, retiring. But it was losing you that kicked me into touch. You and your mum are the two most important people in the world as far as I'm concerned, I love you both, and I'm more sorry than I can say that when you were eighteen you could see no way forward as part of our family. I just hope that it isn't too late to put this family back together."

"Oh Dad. I have wanted to be with you two so often in the last few years, I missed you so much, but I couldn't see any way back. Thank you for making it so easy, both of you, for not being cross with me. I'm not sure I deserve it."

"Rosie," Chris took her hand to emphasise her point, "If you and Dave ever have children, you'll find out that anything your children do to you is forgivable. You really are the most precious thing in our lives. Now how about answering some of my questions from earlier? Like how you met your husband?" So the conversation moved on as they tried to fill in the gaps in their knowledge of each others' lives, getting so deeply into talking that they were surprised to hear Kate, Geoff and Dave arriving a while later.

Rosie jumped up as they came into the room, took Dave's hand and pulled him over to her parents. "So Dave, can I formally introduce you to your in-laws. Mum and Dad, this is my husband, Dave." Dave gave Chris a kiss and shook Tom's hand in a state of disbelief that everything seemed to have resolved itself so quickly after the traumas of yesterday evening.

Tom accepted the handshake with a smile, and a rueful, "Well of course traditionally I should be threatening you with all sorts of things if you hurt my little girl, but instead I need to say thank you. Thank you for looking after her. Thank you for making her happy and meaning that she wasn't all alone in the world. And I'm thrilled that we are now related to the Buckley's."

"I hadn't thought of that," interjected Chris. "I think Vic would have approved!"

"Oh he did." Dave smiled at his wife. "The main reason he left me the pub is that two months after we got married, we came to stay with him in the Crossing for a couple of days. Zanna made one hell of an impression on him, and the fact that we had both done bar work meant that we fitted in easily. Apparently his sister, my great aunt, was a nurse too, so he was impressed with Zanna on that score as well. So we were left the pub, and I'm sure that her being your daughter would have been the icing on the cake for Vic."

"We must try and call you Zanna," Chris said, "But I hope you'll give us some leeway if we slip into Rosie."

"Oh please don't stop calling me Rosie! I'll answer to anything really - call me by my full name if you want, that might make a bit more sense to both sides!"

"Rosanna," intoned Tom, a grin on his face.

"Oh no, I've done it now, haven't I, maybe not Rosanna! Whenever Dad called me that, I knew I was in trouble!" Laughter eased away the tension in the room, and everyone relaxed a little. "I suppose I need to get to work really; can I see you both later? Maybe you could come and eat with us tonight? If you don't mind of course." - this last to Kate and Geoff.

"Of course we don't mind," Geoff said warmly, "You've all got a lot of catching up to do. You know that when your Dad rang up on Monday, Kate invited him to stay saying that they wouldn't know the people at the pub? How wrong can you be, eh Kate? How does it feel to be wrong?!" He moved neatly out of the way as Kate swung a fake punch at him.


	5. Chapter 5

Zanna and Dave set off back towards the pub at a rather steadier pace than earlier once Dave had explained to Zanna that he had phoned up the base on her behalf. "I told them that there was a big family crisis, and that I didn't know if you'd be able to get in today. So how did you go from not knowing if you could face seeing your dad, last night, to rushing over there before breakfast this morning? Did you have a plan? Obviously it all went better than you'd been thinking, but you need to fill me in."

Zanna shrugged, "No plan. I just ran all the way and turned up on the doorstep with tears streaming down my face, and said to Kate that I'd heard that Mum and Dad were staying there. Mum heard me - she was just in the kitchen - and before I knew it she had her arms round me, and she was telling me not to cry. Then Dad was there too and he hugged both of us, and everyone was crying. And then Dad..." Zanna stopped and turned to look Dave directly in the eyes. "He told me that I was the most beautiful sight he'd seen since the day I was born. He said _sorry_ \- sorry that he had got his priorities wrong when I was a teenager, sorry that I had felt excluded. He told me that me and Mum are the two most important things in the world to him and that he never should have forgotten that. The reason they've come back _is_ because she isn't well - she is more important to him than his work. She's got a consultation with Geoff later today, but whether it's serious or not they don't know yet. Dad said it was time to come home and for Mum take things easy whatever, he wants her to be well and happy. And she is so happy to see me again, I can tell that he hopes it will help to make her better. Mum did say that she was already feeling a bit better for being back in Oz, I just hope that there is good news when she's seen Geoff."

Dave took her hand. "We'll hope for the best for your mum. And if she is ill, she will have a better chance to get well being able to have you near her, being somewhere where she can eat properly and get good medical care."

"I know, but I've only just found Mum again and I don't think I can bear it if she really is ill. She looks so old, so much older than six years ago. And it's me running away that has aged her so much. I just feel so guilty; I know that Dad had said it is all his fault what happened, but I wasn't a child, and Mum never did anything to hurt me in my life. But I hurt her, and if anything should happen to her, I'll never be able to put it right. I just want her to be ok. I need my mum, and I didn't realise how much until I saw her again. I've got to take some of the blame for how unhappy she's been and how much it has aged her, whatever Dad says."

They had resumed walking while she talked, but Dave had kept hold of his wife's hand, and he now gave it a squeeze. "I don't think your mum sees it like that - she looked so happy just now, she isn't busy casting blame around. Anyway, you've got to wait to hear what Geoff says before you can know what to expect, I'm sure they'll tell us at dinner tonight."

OoOoO

An hour or two after Rosie and Dave left, Geoff, Chris and Tom headed off to the hospital for Chris's consultation. There were of course no great surprises for Tom in Geoff's questions, but it was a relief to hand over the responsibility for Chris's health to someone else. Chris just wanted the day to go faster, so that she could have dinner with Rosie. As expected, Geoff confirmed that Chris was anaemic, but he didn't know if this was the only problem or a symptom of something worse. He took blood samples in order to have a complete blood count and blood chemistry done, and arranged for Chris to have an angiogram the following week. "So you're thinking leukaemia or heart disease then?" Chris asked.

"Not necessarily," Geoff answered. "You could just be anaemic, or there could be something else at play as well, or the anaemia could be a symptom of something more serious. But you are looking better already than you did on Wednesday night, so for now I would recommend iron tablets, multi vitamins, plenty of sleep and good food. Whether it is something serious or not, that will help. And enjoy spending some time with your daughter, I can already see how much happier you are looking for what happened this morning, Taking down your stress levels and keeping the pressure off will really help. In all likelihood, I think you're anaemic and possibly deficient in vitamin B12, due to the pressurised life and sometimes poor diet you've been coping with. We need to rule out the other possibilities, but I'm cautiously optimistic that by the time we get the results back we won't be needing them."

Tom's face was nearly split in two by his grin. "Geoff, we both know that it's not definite, but that's the best news I could have heard - my thoughts have been going the same way over the last two days, but as you know, when it's your own wife you can't see the wood for the trees. Thank God we came back to see you in Coopers Crossing, for so many different reasons."

"We were delighted to hear you were coming to stay, and we're even more thrilled that Zanna turned out to be Rosie. Your daughter is a lovely girl - you can be very proud. She and Kate get on very well, so we've got to know her quite well. Talking of Kate, she's probably got the lunch ready by now, so why don't we go back and eat, then have a quiet afternoon before your family dinner tonight."

"Family dinner." Chris smiled. "This time yesterday we didn't have a family to have dinner with. I can't quite believe this is real."

OoOoO

Back at the Standish's home conversation flowed as well as ever, despite emotions also overflowing (principally from Chris) from time to time. "I just can't believe that of all the places she could have moved to in Australia, Rosie ended up in Coopers Crossing!" she said at one point. "Anywhere else and we'd never have found her - it feels like it must have been meant to happen."

Tom touched her hand gently and nodded. " On Wednesday night after you'd gone to bed I said that I thought you would be thrilled to retire back home to Coopers Crossing, unless we heard any news on Rosie of course, when we would want to be somewhere near her. And now the two have coincided - they say home is where the heart is, well this is the only place in Australia we can both call home, and with Rosie here, our hearts are here too. So what do you think about looking for a house here and retiring back to the place where we first met, and where our daughter has settled?"

"Oh you must!" Kate squealed excitedly, "It would be so good to have you living in town. Just like the old days, only with slightly less energy. Even if you two will have rather more time on your hands than we will, given we haven't retired yet."

"You know there's nothing I would love better than to settle here permanently," answered Chris, "But we've also got to take Rosie's feelings into consideration. We've spent an hour together so far after six years apart - she may very well not want us living on top of her." Seeing Tom's downcast face, she patted his hand consolingly. "I'm hoping that's not the case, but we have got to be sensitive to her feelings if we want to keep her as part of the family, not drive her away again. There's Dave too; until today he didn't have any in-laws, and he may not want us moving in so close."

"And another thing," Chris was arming to her theme now, "We may have moved back to Australia, but I don't think either of us are quite ready to be put out to pasture completely yet. Personally, I want to write. I want to write my memoirs about everything we've done over the last twenty-five years, everything we've achieved in so many different places. And about the problems that we couldn't fix. That will keep me busy, but you, Tom, you are still going to want to be a doctor. Maybe only part time, but you would soon go crazy otherwise. So we should be thinking about where needs a part time doc. If we don't have things to do with our lives, we'll end up putting far too much pressure on Rosie - and although she has been stuck as an eighteen year old in our heads, in reality she's twenty-four, married and a fully qualified nurse. If we put too much pressure our relationship with her, we'll lose her again."

"But there's an easy solution to Tom!" Geoff exclaimed. "Kate and I were discussing reducing our hours a couple of months ago, and came to the conclusion that it will be easy for Kate to do - we will appoint a junior matron, and Kate will effectively train her and take some of the workload. But it doesn't work out like that for me - unless you fancy some sort of job share Tom? We could both be semi-retired that way, but keep our hand in. What do you think Tom?"

"On paper that sounds like the perfect solution, but as always I bow to my wife's superior judgement, and say we must know how Rosie would feel about it."

"Ok," Geoff was not prepared to let his brilliant idea go that easily. "But no harm in having a look to see how we could split thing - just theoretically of course?"

"No harm at all in just looking I suppose..." with no more ado, the men got up and headed out to the hospital again, leaving their exasperated wives behind them.

"I think their minds are made up you know," said Kate. "You're going to have your work cut out for you if you don't think staying around is in everyone's best interests - Geoff and Tom appear to have decided you'll be staying!"

"I can handle Tom," Chris said comfortably. "And I've already decided that next week we should probably travel over the Perth and visit Zoe. Then we can come back and see how Rosie feels after she's had some time without us around. But I'm hopeful that it will work out, it's amazing being back in the place where it all started."

"Where you and Tom started you mean?"

"Yes - and Rosie come to that!" Chris giggled. "But I don't think I will be telling her that she was conceived in room 6 of her own hotel though!"

"Chris! So when you met up here for the big town celebrations, and announced you were going back to Africa with Tom..!"

"Yes!" Chris did have the grace to blush. "We both got completely carried away! I think Tom was so scared when I was caught up in that accident - and as you know, I'd never got over Tom in the first place. So when he told me that he loved me, asked me to go to Africa with him and spend the rest of our lives together - I threw caution to the winds!"

"So you can't have spent long in Africa then, given that you said you moved to India when you found out you were pregnant? No wonder there was no response to my letters or Christmas cards!"

"I never meant to lose touch again, but once we found out I was pregnant - I was three months before we realised - we were flat out. We arranged the transfer to somewhere safer for the baby, then got married when we arrived. And four months later Rosie was born. I have to say that looking back now, it was all a bit of a whirlwind romance in many ways. After all, we'd only been together about three months before Tom left for the first time. Then when he returned, we never moved beyond friends. So you wouldn't be wrong in saying that in the end it was all very sudden! But we've nearly got to our silver wedding, so I'm glad I took the plunge."

"I really hope you two do stay here you know - there's no-one who shares juicy gossip quite like you!"

"The feeling is mutual. And now Mrs Standish, there are a few questions I've been waiting for answers for about your husband..." They both erupted in giggles, feeling about thirty years younger.


	6. Chapter 6

Early in the evening Chris and Tom made their way over to the pub for their family meal. Dave had found a couple of friends to mind the bar for the evening, and he was doing his best to calm Zanna down as she fretted over the food and whether the table was laid perfectly. "You do know they're coming to spend time with you, not to check on how tidy things are?" he asked gently.

"I know, but I want everything to be perfect. Thanks for everything today, darling. I know I've been hell to live with, but this is all so important to me. It was so overwhelming seeing them again, it just feels like it was a dream now, and I won't calm down until they arrive."

Luckily for Zanna's nerves and Dave's patience, Chris and Tom had been just as anxious for the evening to start, so arrived promptly at that point. Conversation was a little stilted at first, since in such a new situation no-one was quite sure how to behave. They had all just been running on emotion earlier; now, rather calmer, they were feeling their ways tentatively towards a new relationship. Chris took control initially, talking about her appointment with Geoff, and the tentative good news. She had decided to be totally upfront with her daughter about the other possibilities as well, whilst emphasising that Geoff thought she was merely run down and deficient in iron and vitamin B12.

"So it will be a while till we are sure then Mum?" her daughter fretted.

"Not necessarily," she replied, "After all, if Geoff's instinct is right, we should see me feeling better pretty soon hopefully. I haven't told you about the tests so that you can worry over them," she added sternly, "I've done it so that you know I'm not trying to hide anything to protect you. You know as much as we do."

Dave asked everyone to sit down for dinner at that point, and over a glass of wine tensions started to ease further. Tom once again expressed his appreciation for Rosie's forgiveness. She shrugged her shoulders. "Well whatever was going on back then, it was so out of character of you - you always put me and Mum first, your work was always important but never the most important thing in your life. What's up Mum?" For Chris, snorting with laughter, was now choking on her wine.

"Just that it shows how well your Dad did in your early years to give you that impression! I'm sorry, Tom, but! Your Dad has always had a tendency to put his work first, until something shocks him out of it and back into real life."

"It's true Rosie." Tom took a hand, knowing it was time to share the details of their history with their daughter. "When your mum first started working for the RFDS, we got together after two months. We were together another three months after that, your Mum basically proposed to me...and then I left her to go to Africa. I didn't come back for years. When I did I was so turned in on myself that I didn't even let her know I was in the area - she only found out when she treated me for an injury. I didn't manage to get my act together over the next few months either, though I could see that she still had feelings for me. I knew I still loved her too, but I didn't tell her because I wasn't ready - and then she left, to look after your Grandad who was dying. I was pretty lost without her, so a few months after your mum left, I went back to Africa"

Chris took up the story from there. "Well, after that we lost touch completely. I stayed in Melbourne, working in a hospital and living with your Grandad, looking after him until he died. Then I just stayed on - I was pretty lost and lonely at that time. I just kept going to work blindly. A few months later, back here in Coopers Crossing, Henry Cooper's diary was discovered, and a big party was planned. I booked a bus ticket to get here, deciding to give myself the time spent travelling to think about what I wanted from life. Then on the way into town, George Baxter drove into the bus and we crashed."

"We were in radio contact with the bus at that point, because the bus was delayed and the party had already started - I had flown in the day before from Africa. One minute I could here Chris talking to us over the radio, the next there was screaming, a crash and then we lost contact. And so that was the first time I realised that my work was not the most important thing in the world - when I didn't know if she was alive or dead. When I saw her next, she was in a bed in the hospital here, luckily only cut, bruised and concussed."

"I woke up to him stroking my hair," Chris smiled in happy memory. "When I was released from hospital, he insisted on bringing me over here to the hotel himself, and then he told me that he loved me, asked me to go to Africa with him and spend the rest of our lives together! So that was that! I went back to Africa with him, then we requested a move to somewhere safer once we discovered that you were on the way. We got married once we arrived in India and the rest, as they say, is history. But whether any of that would have happened without your dad being brought up short by that bus crash is doubtful. I guess I hadn't expected him to go back to his old ways when you were older though."

"What happened when your mum came back to Australia to be with you is something I know I can't put right now," Tom said uncomfortably. "But I can promise you that the terrible discovery that you'd gone, that we'd lost you, has taught me a lesson I'll never forget. Your mum has been my first priority ever since - I'm still more grateful than I can say that she stuck with me, when I'd single-handedly driven you away. But the lesson I should have learnt when your mum was in the bus crash, was rammed home to me when we lost you. So I'm afraid putting my work first is a trap I've often fallen into; but it's not one that will happen again. That I promise."

Conversation gradually lightened again after that, with Chris expressing surprise that Zoe had never mentioned that Cooper's Crossing was where she had lived with Chris. Dave explained that they were in phone and email contact with Zoe, but they had deliberately avoided sharing information about where they were living, so that she didn't feel torn about what to share with Chris and Tom. "Maybe we should invite her to stay with us sometime soon though, now the need for the big secret had gone though?" suggested Dave. "We certainly need to let her know, anyway!"

Chris explained the plan for her and Tom to fly over to visit Zoe once Geoff had finished running his tests next week. "We would have been doing so even if we hadn't found you today - well, I guess you found us really! I think we should tell Zoe everything face to face; we owe her that much. Not only for looking after you when you were at school, but for keeping that link alive between us, however tenuously, over the last six years. And us going away for a few days will give you a little space from us too Rosie, Dave."

"But I don't want space from you," her daughter exclaimed, "I only found you a few hours ago! I want to spend as much time as possible with you, feel like a family again! Last night Jack and George were busy discussing whether you might be retiring to the Crossing, and I know that's what I want too!"

"Rosie, calm down, we're only talking about visiting Zoe for a few days. As for where we retire to, we haven't reached any firm conclusions yet, but obviously the Crossing is an option, and you are our top priority in our decision." Chris continued, consciously projecting calm with her voice, "We've been back in your life for less than a day so far darling, and in our minds you've stayed the eighteen year old we last saw, while in real life you're twenty-four, married and a fully trained nurse. You may find us being so close a little much to deal with when the first excitement calms down, and poor Dave wasn't expecting to have to entertain his in-laws to dinner tonight!"

Dave squeezed Zanna's hand. "I think that leaving things a little while before formalising plans is a good idea. But I'm pretty confident that Rosie's response will be the same a month down the line, and a year down the line come to that." He picked up his wife's quizzical look and continued, "I think Rosie suits you, you know. Zanna was certainly who you were when I met you - tough and taking on the world all by yourself. But there's Rosie in there too, so I thought that I'd try it out." He turned to face Chris and Tom. "Anyway, once we've finished eating, I suggest that we all get brave and go and announce the putting back together of this family before the rumour mill gets going with something far more exotic! Let's do this on our own terms, make an announcement and offer drinks on the house - I assume that you remember how gossip goes in a small town like Coopers Crossing if we don't tackle it?"

"Oh we do," Tom answered wryly. "It was the town deciding that we were getting married that tipped me over into going to Africa in the first place - and put our actual wedding back by around five years! I'm definitely for doing this on our own terms - but could we call Kate and Geoff so they get to share the drinks on the house too?"

OoOoO

Kate and Geoff had had a pleasant evening at home, discussing their renewed hopes of their old friends staying in Coopers Crossing. "I forgot how easily Chris and I could chat," Kate explained at one point. "We used to have such fun in our house share! Then of course things changed when we got married, so when Chris moved away I didn't miss her as much as I would have done. But we've just slotted back together as though twenty-five years haven't passed."

"For me, the strangest thing is the bond you and Zanna have developed, without ever knowing that she was Tom and Chris's daughter," marvelled Geoff. "So many coincidences, it's like living in a novel at the moment." The phone started to ring. "Go on, you speak to Scarlett first darling, I know you'll be desperate to share the news."

Grinning her thanks, Kate went to answer the phone to their eldest, calling as always on a Friday night. Scarlett was a good listener, and loved the local gossip as much as her mother, leading to a thoroughly satisfying conversation for both parties. The icing on the cake for Kate came with Scarlett's announcement of a trip home in two weeks time, so after the call was over Kate and Geoff were busy planning for their daughter's visit, hoping that Chris and Tom would be back from Perth by then to introduce to her.

The second time the phone rang it was Tom, calling from the pub to invite them down for the free drinks to follow the family announcement in the pub. Kate and Geoff happily made their way down, full of hope about the future for their friends, given the planned announcement. They slipped into the pub, and had just greeted one or two people when Zanna and Dave appeared, Dave winking at them while Zanna raise her voice to command people's attention.

"Right, listen up please everyone, I've got a big announcement to make." With everyone's attention taken, Chris and Tom slid in nearly unnoticed. " As most of you know, two long lost doctors showed up in Coopers Crossing this week;" she waved her hand in their general direction, "Well my announcement is to do with them. You see, while you all know me as Zanna Buckley, my proper first name is Rosanna, and for the first eighteen years of my life, before I ran away, I was known as Rosie Callaghan. By miraculous chance I ended up making a life here in Coopers Crossing, where my parents, Tom and Chris, had first met, and this morning we all met up for the first time in six years." Rosie stopped, the emotion overtaking her.

Dave took over from her as Chris and Tom moved to stand with their daughter, and Chris took her hand. "So in celebration of the Buckley-Callaghan family getting back together, we would like to say that drinks are on the house!" A cheer went up round and Chris, Tom and Rosie started to field questions and accept congratulations.

"So does this mean you'll be settling in the Crossing then?" asked Jack hopefully.

"It does if I have anything to do with it." Rosie answered.


	7. Chapter 7

Saturday morning saw Chris and Rosie trying out some 'normal' mother and daughter stuff, namely going shopping together and grabbing a coffee. Chris was able to relax remarkably quickly into the new setup - after all, she had lived fulltime with her daughter from the ages of sixteen to eighteen. They had shared shopping trips and confidences, Rosie had talked to her mother about her plans for the future. But those two 'nearly-grown years' had been the same years that Tom had been, both mentally and physically, the furthest away. Chris had already noticed that Tom was struggling to deal with the concept of a grown-up, independent daughter; he was not satisfied with her explanation of her change from medicine to nursing, convinced that she would have made a brilliant doctor. In his eyes she was still his little girl, and the thought of her being married was one he was struggling to get his head round. Tom had been saying and doing all the right things, but Chris knew that the mask was likely to slip at some point, so as gently as possible she tried to prepare Rosie for that, not wanting to endanger their tentative and fragile relationship. She also took the opportunity to link this with giving Rosie and Dave some space while she and Tom visited Zoe, and reluctantly Rosie agreed with her.

"I suppose I can see where you're coming from Mum, though Dad has been pretty easy-going so far wouldn't you say?"

Chris opened her mouth and started to reply, "He's going..."

Whatever Chris was about to say was cut off by Rosie's pager going. "Got to get to the strip," she announced, jumping up from the table. "Can you pay the bill Mum? See you later." Without more ado she dashed down the road to the base, where a car was ready to head out to the strip. With a strong sense of deja vu, Chris paid for their coffees and then headed over to the base herself to find out what the emergency was. She slipped in quietly to find Tom, Geoff and Kate already there, along with Louise the radio operator. Geoff had just finished giving some advice over the radio, and he turned as Chris came in.

"There's a been an explosion in a barn over at the Philpott's place," he said. "Petrol stored in the barn, it's all gone up. Sounds like there are two very seriously injured, burns, breaks, you name it. But then there are at least four others reasonably seriously wounded too. Tom, Chris, are you two both able to help?"

"Of course Geoff," Chris answered, "Now what's the plan of action? Who has flown out?"

"Paul and Jen, plus Zanna - Rosie - of course. Harry is at the hospital - I'll let Paul know that I've got two extra doctors here, which will allow him and Jen to stay there and treat the not so seriously injured if they want - it sounds like the other two will need operating on as soon as possible, which will be much easier with four doctors available at the Crossing."

Which was pretty much what happened. The three most seriously injured were flown back with just Rosie, while Paul and Jen, two of the current RFDS doctors, stayed to treat the other injuries on the spot, once they had stabilised the three for take off as far as possible. Harry, the third RFDS doctor, acted as anaesthetist for Geoff , with Kate assisting, while Rosie found herself in an operating theatre with her parents. It was a strange experience for her in many ways, but helped her to put some things into context. Both of her parents were still caring and gifted surgeons, pulling the injured man back from the brink with what seemed like ease. Strangest was the fact that not only were they in total synch with the way they worked, but she was too, working with a smooth rhythm, able to predict what would be needed in a way she wasn't used to. It felt good to be so in tune with them, and despite the fact that their patient had been the most seriously injured, he ended the operation in a stable condition with a positive prognosis.

Tom smiled at his daughter when they were finished, more impressed by her skills than he knew how to put into words. "One hell of a nurse you know," was all he could come out with.

Chris helped him out, "I think what your dad is trying to say is that he was very glad to have you in the theatre with him today, and he can see why you chose to be a nurse since you're obviously such a good one!"

Rosie smiled back at them, "It was easy to be a good nurse in there with you two, I guess knowing people so well makes it easy to work together without many words."

"We Callaghans still make a good team" Tom replied, beaming proudly at her.

Geoff, Harry and Kate were in theatre with the third patient, so they went to check on the two in recovery whilst they waited for the other patients and doctors to return to the Crossing. Mercifully, once they arrived there was little extra treatment needed beyond settling them in for the night for observation. Paul and Jen were pleased to see how things had been handled without them, freeing up Tom and Chris to head back to the Standish's, where their hosts joined them and hour or so later.

"Rosie's a great nurse," Tom said, halfway through dinner, once the treatment and prognosis for all the patients had been dissected. "I had been feeling really sad for her that she hadn't gone to medical school and become a doctor as she'd always planned, guilty that it might have been my actions that stopped her. But after seeing her in action today, I'm beginning to think that a nurse is what she was meant to be."

"She's a fabulous nurse," Kate answered swiftly, "I can see her being a matron in time. She's calm under pressure, technically very good, and has an excellent rapport with her patients. I haven't really worked with her in theatre, but judging but your comments, she's pretty good there too. She has never mentioned to me about wanting to be a doctor, but she clearly loves nursing. Has she told you about how she came to be working for the RFDS?" Kate paused as Chris and Tom shook their heads, "Well, when Vic died, she and Dave arrived and took over the pub. She never mentioned being a nurse until two months later, when most of the nurses at the hospital were out of action. They'd had a party in the nurses home for Gina Wood's birthday, with home brew provided by Max Johnson. Anyone could have told them it was a really bad idea - but anyway, they were all as sick as you like and totally unable to work for the next two days! The only ones not off sick were those on duty at the time, so we were stretched really thin. So Rosie strolled up to the hospital with her certificates, I welcome her with open arms and within ten minutes she was on the wards doing a fantastic job. Paul and Jen were very impressed, and since their nurse had just resigned they offered her a job with the RFDS before the end of the day."

"And the rest, as they say, is history," commented Geoff, "Though Kate hasn't mentioned how she sulked initially at Paul and Jen for snatching Rosie from under her nose! 'Stealing her' was the phrase you used in your rant wasn't it darling?"

Kate glared at him, "Well it just goes to show how impressed we've all been by her, doesn't it?" she answered smartly.

Chris moved to calm things down - she recognised the signs of a brewing Kate/Geoff row of old, and knew that they were always more likely to occur after a hard day. "Well Rosie has clearly chosen a career she is perfectly suited for - maybe one that suits her better than medicine. Who's to say that as a teenager she wasn't just planning that to emulate us, instead of because it's what she really wanted? Plus, if she had stuck with doing medicine, she'd probably never have met Dave, and she certainly wouldn't be happily married and living in Cooper's Crossing. Which would mean that we wouldn't be sitting her now, planning a future in the Crossing with our family."

"How are you feeling after working all afternoon?" enquired Geoff, "I didn't think at the time, but it's not really what I would have recommended for you."

"Fine," Chris replied, "A little tired, but which of us aren't? Hopefully tomorrow will be a quieter day, then on Monday I'll be in for the angiogram before we head off to Perth on Tuesday."

"When are you coming back?" asked Kate.

"The following Monday, if that's ok with you," Tom replied, "We want to give Rosie and Dave some space, and Zoe is keen for us to stay for a few days - and she'll be very pleased with our news!"

"I can't wait to tell her," Chris smiled.

OoOoO

Sunday was quieter as everyone had hoped, giving everyone some much needed time to recover from the intensity of the last few days. On the Monday Rosie was on a clinic run, which kept her busy while Chris went in for the angiogram. Upon being released from the hospital by Geoff, Chris and Tom made their way over to the pub for a drink, sitting at the bar chatting with Dave, Jack, George and Libby from the garage. When Rosie arrived with the rest of the RFDS team, she stopped, rooted to the spot, overwhelmed by her feelings as she came through the door. This was so new, so wonderful, coming home from work to see her parents as part of the community in which she'd made her home. Then the moment was gone, so she slid behind the bar to join Dave, hoping that this was how life could be in the future. She asked about the angiogram, and Chris reassured her that it had been fine, and Geoff should have the results for them when they returned from Zoe's.

"Could you take a couple of gifts from me for Lara and Beth?" Rosie asked, "Nothing very exciting, but they've both got birthdays in the next month, and it will save having to post them for once! Can you believe they're going to be seventeen and fifteen? When I first went to stay with Zoe they weren't quite four and two!"

"Of course we will," Chris answered, "And can we now give Zoe the gift of your address too?"

"Well I wouldn't say she'll really need it once she finds out where we all met up again, will she? But please let her know we would love for all of them to come and stay sometime soon."

"We'll make the offer," Chris answered, "But I don't know if she's ever been back to the Crossing - the reason I fostered her here was because this was where her patents died - where they are buried. You mustn't be too surprised if it's is too much for her to face, and she doesn't want to come back. But hopefully she will come, and we can have a grand family reunion!"

Rosie accepted her mother's comments thoughtfully; she had not as a youngster given much thought to how Zoe and Chris had come to be so close. And now another puzzle presented itself, whilst living in Perth with Zoe, she had known Zoe's father as 'Grandpa Tony'. How did that fit in with Zoe's parents dying in the Crossing? As Chris explained and answered her questions, Rosie found herself understanding more about how hard it must have been for Zoe to admit that she couldn't handle Rosie's behaviour, and found herself filled with renewed respect for all that her mother had done with her life whilst waiting for her father to come to his senses. It was easy for outsiders, she reflected, to admire her father's selfless work in desperately poor countries, but look at the price that had been paid over time by her mother and herself for his 'selflessness'. Her mother though had put the needs of individuals first - Zoe, Chris's own father, Rosie herself and of course Tom when he had been bitten by that snake, at different times. To the outside world it wouldn't seem so laudable, but it certainly was, she mused.

She was brought out of her reverie by Dave's arm hugging her shoulders gently. "So when you two get back in a weeks time, if you come back in here for a drink smiling, do we take that as the signal to start house hunting in the Crossing on your behalf?" he asked.

Tom drained his pint. "Oh, if you insist." He smiled at his daughter, who smiled back happily.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Thank you for reading! Please review and tell me what you thought of the completed story - it's only my second and I'm trying to improve._

Tom Callaghan woke with the morning sun and turned his head to really look at his wife, still asleep beside him. Chris looked totally relaxed, a smile playing across her face - whatever she was dreaming, it was obviously a good one. Both the angiogram and the bloods had come back clear, although by the time they did he had already been feeling more relaxed about Chris's health - happiness, good food and plenty of rest had already been working their magic, just as 'Matron Standish', as he occasionally called Kate when he felt particularly brave, had predicted. Four months on from leaving Medicins Sans Frontiere, he knew it was one of the best decisions he'd ever made. Life without Chris was unthinkable; he couldn't imagine what sort of selfish jerk he would have become without her. But instead, he had his loving, caring, impatient and energetic wife back, and he couldn't be happier.

Then of course, there was the fact that they also had their daughter back. Rosie - as the whole town now tended to call her - was happy to have them back in her life, though she and Tom had exchanged words on one or two occasions. The problem was, that he knew she was right, which made him more defensive. But it had meant that the feelings Rosie had buried and never completely handled had been brought out into the open. Tom had admitted his mistakes, and was now trying hard to build a more stable relationship with her. He felt they were succeeding, but he also recognised that he would probably never have the relaxed relationship with their daughter that Chris did. Of course Chris deserved it more than he did, he mused, and at least he had been the diving force behind bringing the two of them back to Australia, giving Rosie her family again.

The two of them were working much as Chris had predicted to Kate and Geoff, Chris spending most mornings writing, while he and Geoff were both working part time. Kate had appointed a junior matron to train on the job and share some of her workload, so part time hours were now established for all four of them, giving ample time for socialising. Tom reflected that it must prove what good friends they all really were, if after a twenty-five year gap they could just pick up the threads of their friendships so easily. The only slight surprise (for Chris, anyway) had been how much she missed being a doctor. So she was now working as a locum when someone was ill or on holiday - including with the RFDS. Given that it was her health that had driven them back, Tom wasn't quite sure where she got her energy!

Their visit to Zoe in Perth had been wonderful - someone else who was pleased that they were back in Australia. She had been delighted that they had found Rosie - and astounded that she had been living in Coopers Crossing. Zoe hadn't yet scheduled a trip to the Crossing, but she had promised to come and stay sometime soon.

By the time they had returned from Zoe's, Dave had heard of a house for sale - neighbours along from Kate and Geoff had decided to sell up and move to the city to be nearer their grandchildren. As the pub landlord, Dave was always ahead of the game with the local gossip, so he had already spoken up on their behalf by the time they got back from Perth. The fact that it was Dave who had found the house and was pushing for them to buy it had been enough to convince Chris that they should settle in the Crossing, and that they wouldn't be treading on Dave and Rosie's toes. Tom felt relief and delight that for the first time since India Chris was totally content and happy with her life.

Right on cue she opened her eyes and saw him looking at her. She smiled up at him and he bent his head to kiss her good morning "Happy Anniversary darling".

"Happy Anniversary to you too," she kissed him back gently. "Twenty-five years eh? Who'd have thought it!"

"Not me, I was just thinking about how lucky we are to be here, with Rosie and Dave down the road. And how lucky I am to have you still with me despite all I've put you through over the years." He began to kiss her with more purpose. "What say we start off with some private celebrations?" he said suggestively, prompting a giggling response that was abruptly cut off when they heard the front door opening and their daughters' voice calling them.

"Mum, Dad, Happy Anniversary!" Neither Tom nor Chris could be too sorry at the interruption though, being only too glad that their daughter could be with them for their anniversary for the first time in so many years. Both pulled on dressing gowns and went to join Rosie, who they found putting the kettle on and heating croissants. "I hope you don't mind,on,he said shyly, "But I've booked the day off and packed a picnic for us. It was Dave's idea - I know there's a few people coming to the pub tonight, but he said that he thought you might like to spend the day just with me first."

"That's lovely darling," Chris said sincerely, "I can't remember the last time that three of us had a picnic!"

They thought for a moment, "Bolivia, up a mountain," said Tom finally, "I think you were about thirteen? Definitely time for another one." So they finished their croissants, packed their swimsuits and clambered into Rosie's car before heading out to Evan's Dam, bringing back some very early memories for Chris and Tom of which their daughter had no idea.

OoOoO

Back at the pub life was rather more hectic than the relaxed day that the Callaghan family were spending together. Whilst Tom and Chris were expecting a gathering of the pub tonight, they were not expecting the huge party that was actually planned. Rosie had done most of the planning and preparation, but it had been judged best that she kept her parents out of the way on the day itself, so as not to spoil the surprise. With Rosie gone, Kate had taken charge of the decorating in the pub and the food, and Dave was working hard trying to get everything up to her exacting standards. All of Kate and Geoff's children were there - it was the holidays for Olivia and Jonathan, so Scarlett had gladly taken some leave in order to see the whole of her family together. Whilst Geoff and Jonathan moved furniture till it fitted Kate's requirements, Scarlett worked on the food, thinking resentfully of Olivia, who had offered to go to help on a clinic run today - of course as a medical student they were happy to have her, and it got her out of finger food duty. She cheered up when her old friend Jake Dunlop appeared to help her though; unknown to Kate and Geoff, Jake had been quite persistent of late, asking her to move back home to be with him. She was almost sure she had an answer, but was not planning on taking the limelight away from Chris and Tom's party, so Jake would have to wait another twenty-four hours. With few words needed they set to work.

Meanwhile Dave took a break from pinning decorations up to great five new arrivals; Zoe, with her husband, daughters and even her father. "Zoe! Ed! It's great to see you again, so glad you could make it." He took Zoe's bags out of her hands as Zoe looked around curiously to see how the pub matched up to her memories.

"Is the town like you remember it, Mum?" asked Lara, her elder daughter.

"Just like I remember it, darling," Zoe replied.

"I can't believe we're finally getting to see where you live, Dave" interrupted her husband, Ed. "After all these years, it'll be good to be able to picture where you both are, don't you think Tony?" - this last to Zoe's father.

"It feels to me like everything's come full circle," Tony responded. He didn't live far from his daughter and her family, so had known Rosie very well in her teenage years, and had met Dave on the two occasions that he and Rosie had visited Perth since their marriage.

Kate and Geoff came forward to great the family, particularly Zoe and Tony who they had known thirty years before. Seeing his chance to talk to a couple of pretty girls instead of heaving more furniture around, Jonathan smoothly offered to take some of the bags up and show Lara and Beth where the rooms were. Dave gratefully accepted his offer, so the three teenagers went off whilst the adults caught up.

The next couple to arrive were Emma and Sam Patterson, though they were of course staying with Libby. But there were more hugs, kisses and reminiscences until Kate realised how the time was moving on and chivvied everyone into helping. All afternoon the place continued to fill up with old friends from the local stations, Debbie O'Brian and even Sharon. Those on the clinic run returned, and then it was all hands to the pumps. Finally, at six o'clock Kate was satisfied, and everyone went quiet as they heard a car pull up outside. Frustratingly it turned out to be a rather perplexed traveller, but the next car to pull up was the right one. Rosie pushed her parents through the doors ahead of her as people shouted "Surprise!".

Chris had tears in her eyes as she stared at the banners saying 'Chris and Tom' and 'Silver Wedding'. Then her eyes saw the people in front of her - Zoe with her family, Sam and Emma, Debbie, Sharon, Kate and Geoff with their family, Jack, George and so many more - she squeezed Tom's hand, completely unable to speak for the moment. He cleared his throat and put an arm round Chris, hugging her tightly to him. "I'm really lost for words here, but thank you, it's amazing to see you all, and...who planned all this anyway?"

Rosie stepped out from behind them, "That'll be me and Dave, I hope you don't mind? It's just, you never got to have any of your friends at your actual wedding, so I thought that maybe we should mark your silver wedding in rather a special way."

Tom hugged her with the arm that wasn't currently round Chris. "How could we possibly mind?" he asked, "It's the most wonderful present darling, thank you so much for organising it." There was a general round of clapping and cheering, then the food was unveiled and people started to eat, drink and mingle. Dave had made a montage of photos from the time Chris and Tom had known each other, many of them featuring some of the other guests, which caused some hilarity, especially with some of the women bemoaning their previous hairstyles or fashion sense. Later there was music and dancing, with the party spilling outside. Scarlett and Jake found a quiet spot to discuss their future, while Jonathan and Lara danced the night away. Chris and Tom were everywhere, talking to so many old friends, and so happy to be back where they belonged. The time flew by, and all too soon it was the end of the night, and Tom was making a short speech.

"I'm going to speak for both of us, because if Chris tries to make a speech she's going to start blubbing again! First of all I must thank you all for coming, and for making it a surprise - we genuinely thought we were only having drinks with half a dozen friends! It is so good to have somewhere that you can genuinely feel at home, when you've been nomads for as long as we were. Secondly, I would like to congratulate Rosie and Dave on throwing the first surprise party all or partly for me which I haven't ruined! Come on folks, think about it..." Choking with laughter, Kate explained the history of that little comment. "Thirdly, I would like to thank Rosie and Dave for the party, and for everything, for forgiving us - me - and letting us be a part of their lives. I'm prouder of my daughter and son-in-law than I can tell you. But most importantly of all I would like to thank Chris, for marrying me twenty-five years ago despite the years I'd spent ignoring her and making her unhappy. I'd like to thank her for making me so happy, for making me a father, for all the years she spent helping me follow my dreams, and for sticking by me during the time when I had lost us the most important thing in our lives. Chris, I'm so glad we're here today, together back where it all began, back home. Here's to you Chris."

Chris found her cheeks wet again as Tom lifted his glass to her and everyone else joined in. "And you didn't let me make a speech because I would cry?" she said accusingly, but with a smile that contradicted her words. "Come on let's have one more dance." Back in Tom's arms once more they moved gently past Rosie and Dave, who were also dancing, lost in their own world. Chris smiled at her husband, happy to be safely home together.


End file.
